I am in love with the new Rose Wonder stamp set out of the 2016 Occasions catalog! I bought it mainly for all the greeting stamps, many of which are encouraging, such as the verse from Isaiah 41:10 which says, "Fear not, for I am with you; do no be dismayed, for I am your God..." I found this especially helpful in a current situation I am praying through, so decided to use the set as a Bible journaling page. I stamped the flower and leaf images using Calypso Coral and Old Olive markers, huffed, then filled in with my new water color paints. The verse was stamped in black MementoLuxe ink.

The stamp can also be bought in a bundle with the matching framelits. Here is a card I made using the framelits and then water colored with aqua painters. We'll be making this card in my February classes, if you are interested to make your own!

Check out the video below on what else you can make with this great set!

A few month's ago, my friend and Bible study leader came over for Coffee & Crafting to do our Bible Journaling. She had this adorable bird stamp, which we searched online and realized was a sparrow. So I looked up verses in the Bible about sparrows and chose Psalm 84:3. While I was using her stamp, the song Better Is One Day came on, which is inspired by that chapter! Blessed are those, even birds, who make their dwelling with the Lord! Since the column was a little blank, I decided it was a good time to practice my hand lettering!

For Christmas, my mother-in-law (who is also getting into Bible Journaling), bought me a book off my wishlist, Creative Lettering and Beyond. I spent some time practicing and am excited about all I have to learn. I went ahead and just tried using my good old fashioned teacher handwriting to add text. I was reminded of the gospel hymn, His Eye Is on the Sparrow, so I know He watches me!

Last summer, my small group at church studied I-III John using the What Love Is Bible study by Kelly Minter. This was right around the time I got my first Journaling Bible, so I decided to remember this time in life by using the study as the inspiration for a page. I figured the easiest way to remember the study was to trace the cover in my Bible, so I found a page at the end of I John that had more room to fit the large block letters. I was planning to trace the typewriter as well, but the one on the cover was a little too big when I remembered I had the stamp set Tap Tap Tap which features a great typewriter image. I used my new MementoLuxe ink, which bled through the page a little more than I would have liked, so I recommend "stamping off" first on your grid paper or scratch paper. I then used colored pencils to lightly color the letters and typewriter the same blue as on the cover. I also used the notepad image from the stamp set in the left hand corner and there wrote the date that I did this study to time stamp my spiritual journey.

These were words of advice from Cindy Kelle during my first Bible Journaling class. So I am starting from where I am.

Since I am a stamper, I turned to an old stamp set in my retired pile with a Bible verse. This set is called Rejoicing with You and is from the 2012 Holiday Catalog. The set contains a herald angel which immediately sets me singing "Hark the Herald Angels Sing" and the reference Psalm 96: 11, "Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice..."

So I used what I had. I felt like the angels should be gold, so I timidly tried the Gold Encore Ink Pad I had on hand. The ink worked well enough on the page and didn't bleed through at all, but I was a bit perplexed about how to get a good image when the page doesn't lie flat. So I used my gold marker to fix a bit of the image.

Then, I used the Stampin' Up! Hearts and Stars Decorative Masks and Sponge Daubers to create the star stencils. Very simple, but I can hear the angels saying "Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness; tremble before him, all the earth!" (96.9).

During my year as a "Full-Time Crafter," I am excited to try my hand at Bible Journaling. I have been wanting to spend more time reading my Bible, so when I was introduced to the craft at a local creative space called Palette & Paper, I was ready to learn more. I first started a Bible Journaling Pinterest page and then added some supplies to my Amazon wishlist. After receiving a Journaling Bible for my birthday, I was ready to get started! I decided to start with washi tape (rather than tab dividers) to line the edges of the start of every chapter. I started in Genesis, the beginning of the Bible...

...and 66 chapters later, I was finished!

I highly recommend Stampin' Up's washi tape, which can be removed once applied much easier than what I have bought in the store. Below are samples of packages of washi tape which you can buy on my website. Make sure to check out the Clearance Rack! My next blog will be my first attempt at a page...Interested to learn more about Bible Journaling? Come to my November Craft Night for a basic overview!